When You're Lost in the Darkness
by WritersBlockDillema
Summary: SO Lara is in the U.S. looking for a cure to the fungal parasite from TLOU. I don't know exactly where this is all going yet but I really wanted to incorporate Lara into the adventures of Joel and Ellie because why not. Its my first anything so I'm sorry if its bad! Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Background: Lara is in the U.S. searching for a cure to the fungal infection from TLOU. This chapter is just on Lara and is 20 years before The Last Of Us takes place. During their quest to get a cure Sam gets bitten by a runner and thats where we start! Enjoy please! (This is my first anything so forgive me if it sucks HORRIBLY)**

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"I don't know how much further I can go Lara." Sam said.

Her condition had gotten worse, it had only been 4 hours since she was bitten and already she was disoriented and coughing blood. "I won't let you die here Sam." Lara said.

Lara was supporting her as they walked through the caves. The scrolls she'd read stated that, "In the darkness of those caves the light which would save humanity from the great plague would be revealed". She was sure that this was the plague it had foretold. The world was crumbling around them outside, people were going crazy and millions were already dead.

Sam and Lara continued forward into the cave, progressing slowly. Lara was supporting most of Sam's weight now as she could scarcely move her legs anymore. "Sam! Look!"

The walls were covered in primitive drawings. Lara held her torch up to them to get a better view of the images when suddenly, someone came out of the darkness. Lara could not reach for her bow without dropping Sam, so she stood looking at the figure completely defenseless. "Who's there? Who are you?" Lara called to them.

"I am the one who wrote the scrolls you found. I awoke when you unearthed them and have been waiting for you to come."

The figure stepped closer to Lara and in the light of the torch Lara could see it was a woman in a cloak which concealed her entire face in shadow. The woman stood mere feet away from Lara and Sam. "Please," Lara said, "Help her. She was bitten by an infected person, she won't last much longer if we don't do something!"

Sam was still under Lara's arm when suddenly she fell to the ground, "Sam!" Lara yelled, kneeling down beside her.

"Alas your friend is doomed child. As well as those above us who have been bitten."

"But the scroll said-"

"That you would find the cure to the great plague in this cave. This cave will lead you to the cure but it is not here. It is not in this time."

Lara had tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend on the ground. "What do you mean? How can I find a cure that doesn't even exist yet?"

"You must leave this time. With my magics I can send you to the time where the cure will be."

Lara knew full well what magics could do. She remembered the things she'd seen on Yamatai months ago. An ancient army of Storm Guards, a dead queen who tried to steal the life of the living to rise again. "But what about the people here now? Are they all going to die?"

"No. Not all. But most will be bitten and become the things you saw above and worse."

Sam began convulsing on the ground in Lara's arms, foam seeping from her mouth. "Oh god Sam!"

"Your friend is going to turn in a moment, I suggest you end her life now before she turns into a monster."

Lara looked at the hooded woman and then back at Sam. She didn't want Sam to turn into one of those things she'd seen. Sam's shaking ceased and her entire body went still. Lara pressed her lips on the middle of Sam's forehead, tears falling down her face as she removed her pistol from her holster. She placed the barrel of her gun where she had kissed her best friend. "Goodbye Sam." Then she pressed the trigger, the sound bouncing off the cave walls, surrounding her.

Lara knelt in silence with Sam's body for a few moments before the woman nearby spoke again, "I am sorry. Now you see what this plague will do to humanity. You must leave and go to the time where humanity's only chance exists."

Tears still in her eyes, Lara looked at the woman and said "I'm ready."


	2. Chapter 2

"When you get there you are going to see things you couldn't imagine. Things that will look like nightmares more than people." The woman told her.

Lara was checking over all her weapons and making sure they were all fully loaded before going. "How will I know where to look for the cure? I don't even know exactly where it is I'm going." Lara said.

"Once the magic is complete you are going to be transported to the mouth of this cave but twenty years from now."

"So it will be 2033?" Lara asked.

"Exactly. And in terms of searching for the cure you must simply look to the fireflies for the answer. There is where you will find not only a vaccine, but hope."

"Fireflies? Wait I don't understand. What does-" Lara was interrupted by chanting from the woman. The woman was speaking so quickly in some foreign tongue that Lara couldn't tell what she was saying. Suddenly all the light from the torch went out, leaving Lara in total darkness. Then the woman's chanting ceased. "Hello?" Lara called out, receiving no response.

"Oh shit."

Then suddenly all the color popped back into her eyes. She was standing at the mouth of the cave, at least the mouth of a cave. Everything looked much different from when she had been there with Sam. Sam Lara's heart still ached for her best friend, but she couldn't dwell on it. She knew she had to push on. Persevere.

Lara examined her surroundings and was overwhelmed by how green everything was. There was fauna flourishing everywhere. "Okay Lara just find a road. Find a road and then we'll start from there."

She held her bow with an arrow notched on the string. She didn't know what she may find, or what may find her and wanted to be as safe as possible. She walked for over an hour before finally finding something that resembled a road. It was torn apart from a lack of maintenance, and grass and weeds grew within the cracks of the pavement. The air around her was tinged with a slight chill. She wished she'd worn more than just her tank top. "I need to make a game plan. Figure out what I'm going to do. But first I need to warm up."  
She walked along the road for a while until she came upon a ranch, "Yes. Maybe I can find something warmer to wear in there."

She went down path and entered through the wooden gate. She opened the door and found the house to be mostly empty, there was all the furniture but that was it. Lara went up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms at the end of the hall. It was clearly a girl's room. The colors were all bright and pink, and there was a diary sitting on the dresser. She rummaged through the closet, pleased to discover she was about the same size as the previous occupant of this room. She had found a light blue sweatshirt that zipped up in the front. It was heavy, and a little tight on her, but warmed her up instantly.

Suddenly, Lara heard a noise from downstairs, pressing herself against the wall by the door she listened closely. She could hear the whinny of a horse, and what sounded like footsteps. The front door opened and someone was making their way up the steps. The footsteps were moving closer to the room she was in, she scooched away from the door, still on the wall. The door opened and Lara raised her bow, ready to shoot, until she saw who it was. A girl looking at her with her handgun withdrawn. Lara stood, she lowered her bow, "I thought you might be-"

"A hunter? Well I'm not. Are you?" she asked keeping her gun raised.

Lara could sense the anger in her voice and knew she needed to defuse the situation. "I don't know what a hunter is. Is it like a bandit? Because I am not a bandit. I just came in here looking for clothes."

The girl slowly lowered her gun. She then made her way to the window, and sat on the cushioned bench attached. Lara remained standing, looking at the girl as she looked out the window. "May I ask what your name is?" she said.

The girl turned her gaze from the window to Lara, "Ellie. And yours?"

"Lara."

They were silent for a moment, Ellie looking out the window, Lara moving to the bed to sit. "Ellie, what are you doing here alone? Isn't it dangerous out there?"

"I can take care of myself ok! I don't need anyone to watch out for me."

"I just... it's safer... not being alone."

Noises came from downstairs again. Lara tensed up, pulling her bow to the ready. "Relax." Ellie said. "It's just Joel and his brother. They must've tracked me here. I figured they would."

Lara heard someone coming up the steps again, then the door opened and a man in his 40's was standing in the doorway. "Who the hell is this?" he asked Ellie, staring at Lara.

"Her name is Lara. She's fine she was just getting a jacket when I came in here."

Joel held the door open and got out of the doorway. "Would you please give us the room for a minute?" he said gruffly.

"Of course." Lara said, walking out.

She remained in the hallway while Joel and Ellie spoke. She could only hear small bits of it, but could tell they were arguing. Another man ran up the stairs and bounded to the bedroom. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm-"

"It don't matter right now." He pushed open the door. "Joel there's hunters inside."

Joel let out a sigh. He pulled his revolver from the holster, "Alright y'all stay in here, I'll take care of this." Joel said.

"I can take care of myself." Lara said.

"Lady I don't know who you think you are but these guys are for real."

"Good." Lara said, notching an arrow on her bow, "So am I."


	3. Chapter 3

Lara left the room and entered the hallway before Joel could say anything else. She crouched behind a small end table in the hall, listening in on their visitors' footsteps. She could hear multiple assailants downstairs talking loudly. "You guys go check out upstairs, they're here somewhere, their horses are tied up outside."

Lara watched as two of the men ascended the staircase, one holding a handgun, the other a lethal shotgun slung over his shoulder. The two split up and went into separate rooms. Something touched Lara's back and caused her to jump. She turned and saw it was Joel. "Alright look, if you're gonna do this we need to work together. We each take one out but make sure you do it quietly. We don't need their buddies hearing us and rushing in all at once."

"Okay. Let's do this." Lara said.

Joel eyed her suspiciously. She could sense his distrust towards her, but right now she didn't care. She could save that for later, when she wasn't being hunted down by psychopaths.

She made her way to the room where her target was, moving as quietly as she could. She remembered what Roth had always told her, "Stealth can be as important as strength Lara. Use it to your advantage in a fight and you'll be able to take down men double your size."

She was crouched behind a bed, the man poking through a desk facing away from the door. She slowly stood, pulling back on her bow string as she rose. She aimed it at his head and released. The arrow went through his neck, the force of it sending him face-first into the desk. He fell to the floor, grasping at the arrow in his neck for a moment before he was still, blood pooled around his head. Lara removed the arrow from his neck and returned it to her quiver.

Joel was walking out of the room he was in just as she left hers,. "We can try to be quiet downstairs, but there are a lot of them down there and if one of us gets seen, being sneaky is the least of my concern." He told her.

Joel went down the stairs first, staying low to the ground and close to the handrailing. Lara remained calm as she descended after him. She held her bow, but knew she could reach for her pistols quickly if she needed to. Joel was behind the couch in the living room, peeking from the side at two of the men deciding how he wanted to take care of them. Lara had just gotten down the stairs when she was grabbed from behind. "Ha I got one of 'em!" He shouted.

"Agh get off me!" She yelled.

She tried to reach for an arrow to stab her attacker, but her arms were pinned to her sides. She thrust her head back and hit him, loosening his grip just enough for her to unholster her pistol. She shot his foot, causing him to release her entirely. Lara swiveled around and held her gun aimed at his head. She pulled the trigger and quickly took cover behind a wall, unsure of where her next attackers were. When she looked out the doorway she saw two men with guns heading towards her. Just as they were going to shoot, Joel shot one through the head, then the other before he could react.

"Thank you." Lara said to Joel.

"That was sloppy of you. Next time make sure you've surveyed the whole area, cuz next time I won't be there to save your ass."

Before Lara could respond Joel called to Ellie and his brother. "C'mon we're leaving."

Tommy looked at Lara when he'd gotten downstairs, "We got a place up ahead with power and food. You could come up there if you want. We got plenty of room."

Lara didn't know how to respond. She was sent here to find the cure to the apocalypse, but she didn't even know where to start. Finally she said, "Okay."

At least at his place I'll be safe and have a chance to think, she thought to herself. She shared a horse with Tommy on the ride back. They arrived on a tall hill overlooking the town Tommy had mentioned. "Ellie, give Tommy back his horse." Joel said.

Ellie handed him the reins, "Sorry that I kinda stole her." She said.

"Ellie hop on." Joel said.

"What're you doing Joel?" asked Tommy.

"I've decided I'm gonna take her. We started together, might as well end it that way too. Where can I find the fireflies Tommy?"

Fireflies! Lara felt excitement surge inside her. "They have a medical center set up at the university of Eastern Colorado. Its in the science wing, the building looks like a mirror you can't miss it."

Lara needed to go with them. She needed to find the fireflies and this was her chance. "Wait. Joel, please the fireflies I'm searching for them too. I need to find them."

"What the hell do you want with the fireflies?"

Lara didn't know what to tell them. Saying she was looking for a cure might sound crazy, she needed to think of something... "I want to join them." she said.

She knew nothing about the fireflies, except that it sounded like they were a group of some sort. "She can take my horse and ride with you Joel." Tommy said.

"I don't know. We don't even know you, how can I trust you?" Joel said.

"Please. I promise you can trust me. I just need to get to the fireflies and this is my only chance."

Moments passed before Joel responded. "Alright. But if you do anything that endangers me or Ellie, I will kill you."

"Fair enough." Lara said.

She slid off Tommy's horse, and climbed onto the one Ellie stole. She thanked Tommy, and after Joel had said his goodbyes, the three of them left, heading to Colorado. Finally, she thought, I'm finally getting to the fireflies.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is really about relationship development especially between Joel and Lara. ENjoy!**

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Lara, Joel and Ellie traveled to the university together riding on the deserted highways. When night would fall they would get off the highway and find some place more concealed to sleep. Lara and Joel would take shifts watching to make sure they weren't attacked by bandits or infected. Food was always scarce, as there were no animals to kill on the highways, so when they stopped off near a woodsy area, Lara saw it as a chance to hunt. The food would be reward enough for her, but if she got some food it might increase er favor with Joel. Even after being with them for days Lara could tell Joel wasn't sure whether he could trust her or not. "I'm going to go search through the area a bit, see if I can find something." she told them.

"Don't get lost out there." Joel said.

The woods here were like they were everywhere else, overgrown with large plants, and a green that was so vibrant it appeared fake. Lara had her bow equipped and was silently stalking through the trees looking for prey. She saw a squirrel sitting by the base of a tree trunk, gnawing at an acorn. Lara readied her bow, aimed and fired, taking it out without a sound. As she approached to retrieve the squirrel and her arrow, she heard a stick crack behind her. She spun around with her bow drawn, looking for the source of the noise. Elie was behind her, still crouched in her attempt to be stealthy. "Heh hey there!" she said.

Lara lowered her bow, "How long were you following me?"

"A little while, I was able to follow your footprints in the dirt."

Lara was impressed with this young girl. "Wow. I didn't even hear you at all."

Ellie's face lit up with a grin. "I know. I'm pretty good at being quiet. I wanted to watch you hunt and use that thing." she pointed to the bow.

"Have you ever used one before?"

"Well once or twice in the quarantine zone. One of the soldiers was nice to me and showed me how, but I haven't used one in ages."

"Want to try it?" Lara handed the bow out to Ellie.

Ellie took the bow in her hands and felt the wood carvings along it. She took an arrow from Lara and notched it in the bowstring, pulling it back to get a feel for the bow. "Can I shoot something with it?"

"Yeah, see if you can find something a little bit bigger than this squirrel." Lara said.

Together, Ellie and Lara crept through the forest, searching for more animals. Suddenly Lara put her arm in front of Ellie, holding her back. "Look over there." she whispered.

Lara pointed to a deer that was about 40 feet away from them. The deer was small, no more than 70 pounds at most. "Okay, breathe slowly and focus on the target." Lara said.

Ellie raised the bow, breathing in and out slowly, she pulled the arrow back, held it for a moment, then released, sending the arrow straight into the deer's upper chest. The animal went crashing down into the earth, flailing wildly on the ground, Lara and Ellie went to it quickly before it could rise, Ellie pulled back another arrow and shot the dying animal once more, putting it out of its pain. "Ellie that was incredible! This is gonna be more food than we can carry!"

Ellie released a long breath and smiled. Both girls carried the carcass back to where Joel had set up camp for the evening. "Holy shit. Who brought this thing down?"

"Ellie did it." Lara said, exhaling as she and Ellie lowered the beast to the ground.

"It was so cool Joel! I thought that I wouldn't be able to do it, but then Lara helped me out and told me to focus and stuff and it was awesome!"

Lara sat on the ground, resting for a moment before she would have to skin the animal and cut the meat from it. Carrying it back had proved very tiring. "I'll cut it up in a second. I just need to breathe."

"Don't worry. I can take care of it for ya." Joel said.

Joel prepared the animal, cooked it, and wrapped up what remained once they were done eating. He used pieces of cloth which he'd found to wrap it, it wouldn't stay fresh for long.

That night Joel offered to take first watch. Lara was exhausted, but found she couldn't sleep. Ellie was asleep the second she shut her eyes, and it was only Joel and Lara who were awake now, their faces lit by their small fire. "If you want to sleep I can take the first watch Joel. I can't fall asleep right now even if I tried."

"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry i didn't trust ya before. But with that girl and everything going on... I don't need anything to happen to her. She's important." Joel said.

"I understand. This world is full of people who want to hurt others. I understand why you were so apprehensive about me."

"Well not anymore. Now we're all together in this. We're gonna get to the fireflies, and then... Well I don't really know what then. I guess we'll just go our separate ways, seein' as you'll be joining them."

"Yes. I suppose so..."

"I think you should try and get some sleep, you look like you can barely keep your eyes open." Joel said.

Lara yawned, "I think you're right."

Her sleepiness finally was getting to her, and she needed to rest. She shut her eyes and drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5

They traveled for weeks before they finally reached the university. After that first time Lara taught Ellie how to hunt, they hunted together more often, Lara teaching Ellie new techniques and how to shoot better. They'd even managed to find Ellie her own bow in one of the places they stayed at. Ellie's face lit up when Joel found it in one of the rooms he was searching, he handed it to her after he made her promise she would be careful with it. "I promise!" she said, anxious to hold the weapon in her hands.

They rode the horses up to the steps of the school, "Well will ya look at that." Joel said, "We finally made it."

"Now we just need to find the fireflies." Ellie said.

"Tommy said they were in the science wing. In a building that looked like a mirror?" Lara said.

"Let's try and get to the main grounds, see if we can find a map or somethin'" Joel said.

The campus grounds were covered in dead, brown leaves, floating around, carried by a cool autumn wind. The temperature had definitely dropped since they were in Jackson.

"Hey over there!' Ellie called.

Lara followed where her finger was pointing, two buildings which looked to be reflecting one another.

"That has to be it." Lara said.

They rode through the campus and reached the main entrance of the science building. Joel got off his horse and tried to open the door. "Goddammit this fuckin' thing is stuck." Joel said, "It looks like its locked from the inside."

"Well maybe there's some way in around the side? A backdoor or something?" Lara said.

Joel sat on his horse again and the three rode to the side of the building. Up above there was a window that was smashed open that looked easy enough to climb up to. Joel and Ellie got off their horse, tying her to a fence post connected to the building. Lara descended off her own horse, "Are we just going to leave the horses here alone? What if bandits come?" she asked.

Joel though for a moment. "You're right. Do you mind waiting out here while we check this place out?"

"No. I'll just wait outside, then once you're done talking to the fireflies we can bring the horses in. They must have somewhere we can keep them."

With that decided, Joel and Ellie climbed onto a dumpster and ascended through the window, leaving Lara alone with the horses. She remained standing, stretching her legs after the long ride. "We're finally here." Lara said to herself.

Everything felt so unreal to her. _So easy. I haven't even seen one of the infected._ She thought. Her mind drifted to what she would do when this was done. After she'd reached the fireflies. After she'd found the cure she was sent to find._ I don't know anyone anymore. Everyone I ever loved is dead or... one of those things... I'm completely alone in this world... But that's not true. I'm not alone. I have Joel and Ellie. We're in this together. I don't know where we'll be next, but no matter what, I will stay with them._

Lara waited with the horses for well over a half an hour when she began to hear noises. She heard footsteps and people's voices, she could tell it wasn't Joel and Ellie. Quickly, Lara looked for any sort of cover she could find, and had to settle for crouching behind the dumpster Joel and Ellie climbed to get to the window. The voices were getting closer, and she saw some men walking out of a building across the campus yard. "Okay, we're gonna check out this place, and see if we can't find anything useful. You know what to look for, food, meds, ammo. The usual."

Lara listened as their footsteps receded into the science building. Shit, Joel and Ellie. Lara didn't know how to handle the situation. Most of the men had gone inside now, but Lara could see at least two who remained outside to remain as guard. She decided to take them both out silently with her bow, but before she could ready herself she heard one of them, "Hey look over here!"

"Holy shit are those horses?" The other responded.

Their footsteps were getting closer to her, she needed to act quickly. Quickly in her head Lara decided upon her options. She ruled out stealth, they were too close and would see her the second she stood up, and she definitely couldn't just hide and let them take the horses. She chose to use her pistols, and take the two men out a quickly as she could when they got close enough.

When they were about ten feet from the horses Lara rose from her spot and began firing at the bandits. She shot one in the upper chest, and he went down immediately. The other was not as close to her, and managed to get behind the science building wall. "You bitch! I'm gonna kill you for that!" he yelled.

Lara remained standing, and kept her pistols aimed at where her assailant would surely peek his head out. Just then she heard shouts and gunshots come from inside the building. "Sounds like whoever you got in there is gonna be pretty dead soon!" The man yelled.

Lara knew he meant to rile her up, make her go to him, and thats exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to shoot this man and kill him. She was finally so close to the fireflies and now these people were going to take it all away from her. She moved sideways, trying to get a better aim on her target, when he suddenly peeked out and aimed his shotgun at her. He fired and would have hit her had she not rolled out of the way, she got up and fired repeatedly at him. One of the many bullets she fired hit his head. She reloaded and walked over to the man she killed. "You deserved that you bastard."

_I've got to help Joel and Ellie._ She ran to the main entrance, and saw Joel fall through the door and roll down the stairs, clutching his abdomen. "Joel!" Lara yelled, running to him.

Ellie ran out, pistol in her hands, "Lara help me get him up!"

"Wait here, I'll get the horses!"

Lara got both horses and returned as fast as she could. Together the two girls managed to lift Joel and saddle him onto Lara's horse. "I'll ride with him and make sure he stays on. We need to find some place where I can fix up this wound fast!"

Lara sat behind Joel, arms around him, hands on the reins and thought about what she was thinking about an hour ago. _So easy. You practically asked for this Lara. For thinking you'd had it all so easy..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay finally! Sorry this one took so long to get out, I've had practically no time to work on anything fun lately. This is chapter 6 I hope you enjoy it!**

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Lara managed to keep Joel on her horse long enough for them to find a small neighborhood a couple miles away from the university. "Help me get him down!" Lara called to Ellie.

The two carefully pulled Joel off the dark horse and resting him to the ground which was now covered by a light layer of snow. Lara looked back at the house, then to Ellie. "I'm going to go make sure its safe in there for us to bring him in. Can you stay out here with him for just a sec?"

"Yeah, just try to be quick."

Lara nodded and proceeded to the small, two-story home. She walked through the door and was standing in an abandoned living room, full of dusty furniture. From the next room, Lara heard something fall. She walked through the living room, remaining silent as she walked across the carpeted floor. The arch to the next room revealed that she was about to enter a kitchen, but before she could walk an infected was on top of her before she could react. Lara dropped her bow, and was on her back on the floor, trying to push him off her. Lara screamed, trying to reach for something to hit him. She couldn't reach her arrows on her back, nor her pistols on her sides. The infected was still trying to bite her, a few mere inches away from her face. Lara knew she couldn't hold him off her for much longer when her hand found something near her that felt solid. She moved quickly and struck the infected in the head, the first blow barely affecting it, she struck repeatedly, hard and fast. After a moment her hand was covered in blood and chunks from the dead man's skull.

After pushing the lifeless body off of her Lara stood, quickly grabbing her bow from the floor. She looked at the thing on the ground. It looked like a person, but she knew it wasn't. It was no longer a someone, but a something. She found the backdoor at the end of the kitchen and dragged the body out the door, dumping it behind the house. She quickly searched the remainder of the house, and was unsurprised to find nothing else._ All the noise I just made would have been a dinner bell to anything that was still in here_, she thought. Lara went into the basement, and saw that it also served as the garage. She lifted the garage door and went outside. She found Ellie still with Joel in front of the house. "The place is clear, we can bring him in through the garage door and I can get a better look at his wound in there."

Lara immediately began examining Joel. Lara had never been in medical school, but she knew some basic medical procedures for a survival situation. "Ok Ellie, I'm gonna need a hand here. I need to clean his wound and stitch it shut. I'm gonna need some alcohol, rags and sewing supplies, can you find me those things?"

"I can find it yeah."

Ellie found the alcohol and rags in the kitchen, the sewing kit in one of the bedroom's. Once she gave them to Lara the real work began. Lara cleaned the wound with the alcohol and rags. Then she began stitching the skin back together. Sweat began to bead at her brow. She turned to Ellie again, "Ellie I need you to shine your flashlight on his wound. It's getting so dark I can barely even see what I'm doing."

Ellie did as Lara asked, and nearly an hour later Lara was satisfied with her work. She wiped her friend's blood on her jeans. Lara turned around to see Ellie sitting on a rusty toolbox by the wall behind her. "Well? How is he?" she asked, rising from her seat.

"I was able to stitch the wound, and I think the bleeding is stopped, but I need antibiotics or else it could turn septic."

"Septic? That's bad right?"

"Yes Ellie. It's very bad. It would mean that he has an infection in his blood stream."

Ellie hesitated for a moment. "But I mean... You could fix him right? I mean if that happened?"

"I don't know. I don't even know how to begin to treat a blood infection. The best way to help Joel would be to find antibiotics. Keep his wound clean and make sure no infections start."

Ellie's face was full of visible hurt. Lara moved closer to comfort her, but Ellie turned away. "I'm gonna go tie the horses up outside somewhere more hidden." She said, already headed up the stairs.

"Okay." Lara said weakly.

She turned back to Joel, felt his head and began swabbing his head with a moist rag to lessen his fever. "You'd better not die on us Joel. We need you here."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry that this hasn't been updated in so long, things are still crazy busy! So please enjoy, and reviews would be great. I'd honestly like to know if anyone even wants to read this.**

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Lara was cleaning Joel's wound again when she heard Ellie come through the door upstairs, back from her hunting trip. Ellie's feet came thundering down the stairs as she bolted to the basement.

"Here quick!" she said, handing a small vial and needle to Lara.

"Wait what? Is this penicillin? Where did you get this?" Lara asked.

"Some assholes in the woods. They were with the fuckers we killed at the university, don't worry they don't know where we are."

Lara injected the antibiotics into Joel, then turned to Ellie. "How many were there?"

"Two. One of 'em said they have a camp, women and children."

"Dammit. I thought we were far away enough from the university that this wouldn't happen. We just need to keep our eyes peeled, sleep in shifts. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Will Joel be okay now?"

"I think so. His wound won't be fully healed for a while, but he should be able to walk around pretty soon. He hasn't been awake for more than 10 minutes at a time, and when he is awake he hallucinates about people. He keeps saying a name, Sarah."

"Yeah, that was his daughter. She died a long time ago. He doesn't really like to talk about her."

"I can't even imagine..." Lara said, looking down at an unconscious Joel.

Lara let Ellie lay down and decided to keep an eye out for any potential bandits. Outside it was gray, the sky full of clouds. There was a heavy coat of snow on the ground, and Lara could tell it would be snowing again at any minute. She sat in a chair in the living room, faced the window and tried to get deep into her jacket to get warm. There was no firewood in the fireplace, and Lara didn't have an axe to chop any down, so the house was freezing. After a couple of hours of watching, Lara's eyes began to get weary. She hadn't been able to sleep much for the past few days, taking care of Joel and making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Just as her eyes began to close she heard something, a twig snap outside and someone shout. She abruptly stood and walked to the window. She ducked down, crouching under the sill and looking down the street. She saw armed men, more than she could count, making their way closer towards the house. Just then, she felt someone grab her shoulder from behind. Lara jumped and let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Ellie. "I heard a noise and wanted to see what was up."

"There's men outside, they must've followed the horse tracks."

"Well shit we gotta go! They want Joel, they blame him for their men dying, we need to get them away from here!"

"You're right. Go downstairs, we can get out through the garage door and ride the horses away. We can attract their attention and lead them away from Joel."

Ellie and Lara silently mounted their horses, and began to gallop down the street. "There she is! And she's not alone!" one of the men yelled.

Ellie and Lara rode beside one another, dodging bullets that whizzed past their heads. "C'mon Ellie we just have to get past the-" suddenly Lara's horse was struck by a bullet, sending her tumbling down.

Lara grunted on the impact as she rolled away from her horse. "Lara!' Ellie shouted.

"Go! I'll be fine just get out of here!"

Ellie looked at Lara, then back at the men behind her, then she turned her horse and kicked her heels at its side. Lara looked at the men closing in on her. The nearest one was about 40 feet away, but he and others were running at her. Lara quickly ducked behind a car for cover, searching her surroundings for a place to hide. She saw a small cabin, just across the street, and she quickly sprinted to it. She got inside through a broken window and got her bow ready. She peered out the window, "Alright, she's in the cabin, we surround the exits, charge in and take her out." one said.

Lara crouched, back against the wall and took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling. Then, remaining low to the ground, she made her way to the front door, hoping to get there before anyone spotted her. Lara managed to get to the main room the door was connected to, when one of the men began to bang on the closed door. He thrust his weight against it, causing the wood to splinter. Lara hid behind a sofa and the door burst inwards, letting in three of the men with it. "You two go search in the bedroom, see if she stayed in there, I'll check out in here."

Lara listened as the footsteps receded into the house, and she was alone in the small room with her attacker._ Okay, just take this guy out, and then you can sneak away Lara, it's simple as that_. She thought to herself. She listened intently as his footsteps walked away from her. SHe assumed he was facing away from her, and when she looked up, bow pulled tight, she was not mistaken. She released her arrow and sent it through his skull, knocking him onto a small end table, sending it tumbling to the floor. _Shit. They definitely heard that_. Lara needed to move fast. She ran out the shattered door, searching, again, for a place to hide. She needed to remain hidden until these people thought she was far away. She scanned the area, saw it was clear and crouched behind a large boulder, listening to the commotion inside the cabin. Suddenly, practically from nowhere, hands grabbed her from behind. Lara quickly drove an arrow in her hand into her assailants thigh. He let out a deep scream, then punched her hard into the skull with the butt of a gun, knocking her unconscious immediately.

The man called to the others in the cabin. They gathered around him, still holding Lara, "Is this the bitch David wanted?"

"I guess so. Unless he meant the other one who ran off. Either way, this bitch killed our fucking men. I wanna see her pay for it."


End file.
